Oil-well-drilling apparatus



' 22 March 1927 W. SHELDON OIL WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 4, 1922 nn H! INVENTOR A TTORNE Y Patented Mar. 22, 1927.

new

PATENT OFFICE.

-WAI1D0 SHELDON, OF GREENWIGH, CONNECTICUT.

OIL-WELL-DRILLING APPARATUS.

' Application filed October 4,1922, Serial No. 592,265. Renewed February 28, 1925.

Some of the more important objects of. this invention are to provide readily controlled means for maintaining 'a desired ressure on the drill bit and for effecting a esired rate of means for such urposes in simple practical form, capable oi ready application and use with the ordinary rotary drilling outfit.

Another important ob'ect is the provision of this apparatus in suc form that it; will aid and facilitate the usual rotary drilling operations and will enable the bringing in of a well against pressure.

A further object is to provide for a relatively long eifective feed stroke.

In the accompanying drawing forming. part of this specification, I have illustrated but one simple commercial embodiment of the invention and therefore wish it understood. thatthe structure may be modified in many respects without'departure from the true spirit and scope of the invention hereinafter defined and claimed.

- Figure 1 in the drawing referred to is a broken plan view illustratin an embodiment of the invention applie to and in use with a rotary drilling machine.

Figure 2 is a broken side elevation of the same.- A a Figures 3 and 4 are detail sectional views illustrating the slidin androcking connections at the ends of-tlie bellcrank structure which is utilized to transform the horizontal movement at the pressure cylinder into a (viertical movement at the drive stem-of the rill. In the illustration I have indicated parts of an ordinary rotary drilling apparatus including a rotating ta 1e 5 driven by a pinion '6 and carrying-at its center a suitable chuck for holding the drive stem 7 of the drill. A

swivel 8 is shown attached to the stem hav-. ing a cable 9'which extends'over a block at the crown of the derrick to a suitable drum (not shown) usually controlled by a friction brake.

For the purpose of efiecting the desired feed of the drill and the proper pressure on the drilling bit an accurate y controlled pressure device is'provided confeed and to provide the and readily sisting in the illustration of a hydraulic or other power cylinder 10 fixed on the derrick floor .m a substantially horizontal position at one side of the rotating table provided w1th'a piston 11 having a horizontally reciprocating piston rod 12 connected with the drive stem by a bellcrank structure pivoted.

at 13 and having a generally vertical arm 14 connected with the piston rod and a generally horizontal arm 15 connected with the drive stem.

v The lower arm of the bellcrank is shown as slidingly and pivotally connected with the piston rod of the power device by having forked termlnals 16 slidingly engaging over vthe squared blocks 17 pivoted on studs 18 outstanding from opposite sides of the piston rod. .This construction provides a simple variable connection betweenthe power piston and the bellcrank which allows for.

the different motions of the two and one which can be readily taken apart and put together.

The connection between the upper arm of the bellcrank and the drive stem of the drill is shown as similarly constructed, the bellcrank having spaced forked terminals 19 slidingly fitting over squared blocks 20 mounted on pivot studs 21, but a rotating engagement is eiicted with the drive, stem by having these studs carried by a sleeve 22 which is rotatably confined between thrust bearings 23 on a chuck sleeve 24-which is adjustably means of the clamp bolts 25. If founddesirable, the two arms of the bellcrank may be of difierent length so as to multiply either 'the a plied power or movement. In the case enerally horizontal arm,-

illustrated, the 5 that is, the one which connects with the drive stem issomewhatlon er than the other arm, the movement being t ereb increased to the extent of this difference in ength of the two arms. Alsoit will be noted that as the bellcrank swings the ap lied leverage will vary as the swiveling bloc s slide in the forks of the bellcrank arms and it will be seen that by proportiomng and relatively positioning these arms, difierent desired effects may be obtained.

affixed 'to the drive stem as by The bellcrank is shown as arranged with its pivot .above the pressure cylinder and with its generally vertical arm dependent from such elevated position in front of the end of the pressure cylinder. This relation of parts enables the pressure cylinder to be placed low and when the pivot bearings are constructed with removable cap pieces, as shown at 26 in the present disclosure, enables the bellcrank to be' quickly disconnected from the drive stem by swinging it backward upon the piston rod pivots as a center. To facilitate such operation the bearing caps are shown as arranged on a rearward incline so that when they are removed the pivot bearings will be open to the rear and so permit the bellcrank journals to lift easily out of such open bearings in the rearward swinging movement of the bell crank. Insuch movement it will be evident that the forked ends 19. of the upper bellcrank arm will simply slide free of the bearing blocks 20.

i This ready disengageability of the'bellcrank is particularly valuable in facilitating the addition of extra sections of 'the drive stern and in withdrawing and replacing the drill stem. I

Suitable valve mechanism is provided for controlling the pressure in the opposite ends of the ressure cylinder. In the case of a hydrau ic cylinder such as illustrated, this valve mechanism may consist simply of hand valves 27, 28, controlling admission of pressure to the opposite ends of the cylinder and other valves 29, 30 controlling release of pressure at o posite ends of the cylinder.

'Usually the va ves will be manipulated so that as pressure is admitted to one end of the cylinder, the pressure will be correspondi ly released at the opposite end of the cy inder. This method of control serves to maintain a uniform pressure and steady feed at the drive stem and may be varied to increase or decrease the rate of feed in accordance with varying conditions met with. v

A special advantage of the invention is that it enables the bringing in of a well against pressure, a proper control of the power cylinder enab ing sufliclent pressure to be maintained on the,drive stem to overcome the pressure of gas or other forces met with in the drilling of oil wells. The horitions the bellcrank structure may be entirely disconnected and the hoisting be effected wholly by-the cable. If desired also the pressure control feed may be'utilized in con- {unctionwsith the independently controlled ioist, for. instance, to hold the remaining sections of the drive stem while other sec-' tions are being removed. It will thus be seen that by means of the novel arrange 'ment of the pressure cylinder and the bellcrank connections between the same and the drive stem, the same may be used as a valuable adjunct to and in combination with the ordinary rotary drilling outfit, without in any, way interfering with the usual operations of such outfit andin fact, actually facilitating such usual operations. The bearings for the bellcrank or rocker are shown as carried by upstanding posts or standards 31 rising from and forming a part of the same base 32 which carries the pressure cylinder, thus making the device a unitary structure for direct application to the floor of the derrick.

What I claim is:

1. In oil well drilling apparatus, the combination with means for rotating the vertical drill stem. of means for effecting the feed and controlling the pressure on the rotating drill comprising a horiz'ontall disposed pressure cylinder with a piston t ierein, said cylinder and piston being movably related and one of such elements bein connected with the rotating drive stem an connecting means from such element for translating the horizontal thrust at the cylinder into a vertical thrust at the drive stem.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the translating means comprises. a bellcrank structure having a readily disengageable swivel connection'with the drive stem.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which the translating connection may be readily freed from operative relation to the drive stem and in which means are provided for lifting and lowering the drive stem independently of the horizontally disposed power applying mechanism. I

4. In Oll well drilling apparatus, thecomblnatlon with a drive stem and means for rotating the same, a double thrust collar adjustably connected with the drive stem. at

bellcrank structure having a generally horizontal arm slidmgly engaged with the thrust collar and a generally vertical arm, a subill) stantiallyhorizontal power cylinder and a piston in said cylinder 'operatively connected with the generally vertlcal arm of the bellcrank.

5. The structure of claim 4 in WlllCh the sliding connection between the bellcrank arm and thrust collar includes pivoted blocks carried by the thrust collar and operating in forked guides on the bellcrank arm.

6. The structure of claim {l in which the slidable connection between the bellcrank arm and thrust collar is readily disconnect-ible.

7. In oil well drilling apparatus, the combination with means for rotating the drive stem, of a substantially horizontally disposed pressure device and operating connections from said device to the drive stem for translating the feed stroke of said device into a feeding movement at the drive stem of difl'erent extent from the feed stroke of the power device.

8. In oil well drilling apparatus, the combination with means for rotating the drive stemyof a substantially horizontally disposed power cylinder and power varying connections from said cylinder to the rotating drive stem.

9. In oil well drilling apparatus, the combination with means for rotating the drive stem of the drill including a rotating table, of a pressure cylinder supported in a substantially horizontal position oil? to one side of the rotating table and provided with a piston having a projecting piston rod, a

rocker having a pivotal support located at a higherelevation than the cylinder and having a dependent arm extending downward adjacent one end of the cylinder and another arm extending laterally toward the drive stem, said arms having pivotal sliding connections with the piston rod and with the drive stem respectively and a bearing for the rocker havmg a removable cap set at an incline.

it). in oil well drilling apparatus, the combination with means for edecting continuous rotation of the drill stem, of means for variably feeding and applying accurately regulatable pressure to the drill stem comprising a power device mounted to one side of the drill rotating means and having a readily disconnectible power applying connection with the drive stem adapted to permit tree rotation of the drive stem.

11. In oil well drilling apparatus, the combination with a rotary table provided with means for driving a drill stem extending therethrough, a power cylinder mounted at one side of the rotary table and power applying connections extending from said power cylinder across the rotary table and including readily adjustable means for applying pressure to the drill stem irrespective of the rotary motion of said drill stem.

12. In oil well drilling apparatus, the combination of a supporting base, a rotary table mounted at a fixed low level on said base with clearance above the same for the usual rotary drilling operations and havin a chuck passage at the center for the drill stem, a power feed cylinder supported by the base in. a fixed position not interfering with the rotation of the table, a piston in said cylinder having a projecting iston rod, operating connections from sai piston rod for applying lifting and lowering forces to the drill stem and including cooperating thrust transmitting members relatively rotatable, one to turn with the drill stem and the other to remain non-rotatable with the power transmitting connections, said rotating member having readily releasable means for variable adjustable engagement with the drill stem, readily controllable means for applying regulated pressure to opposite ends of the cylinder for accurately feeding, sustaining or lifting the drill stem and means for enabling the quick removal of the power applying mechanism to afiord clearance of the rotar table and the ready return to rotary dri ling operations.

13. In oil well drilling apparatus, the combination of a supporting base, a rotary table mounted at a fixed low level on said base with clearance above the same for the usual rotary drilling operations and having a chuck passage at the center for the drill stem, a power cylinder supported at a fixed level and in osition not to interfere with the free rotatlon of the table, operating connections from said cylinder for applying a pressure feed or lifting force to the drill stem and including chuck mechanism variably adjustable to the drill stem and means for accurately controlling admission of pressure to opposite ends of the cylinder to accurately apply regulated degrees of lift ing or lowering force to the drill stemirrespective of the rotation edected by the table, the said mechanisms being readily disconnectible to clear the table for the usual rotary drilling operations.

14. In oil well drilling apparatus, the combination of a supporting base, a rotary table mounted at a fixed low level on said base with clearance above the same tor rotary drilling pperations and having a driving passage therethrou h for holding a member in slidingly keye engagement, a driven member slidingly keyed in said passage, upward and downward thrust transmitting shoulders connected with said driven member, a power feed cylinder supported by the base in a fixed position not interfering with the rotation of the table, a piston in said cylinder having a projecting piston rod, operating connections from said piston rod for applying lifting and lowering forces to the llll) slidingly held driven member and including a non-rotating member having thrust transmitting shoulders" cooperating with the thrust shoulders of the rotating driven mem- I' ber, readily controllable regulating means for the power cylinder for accurately governing the feeding, sustaining or lifting effeet on the driven member and means for-em abhng quick clearance of the power mechanism to permit return of the rotary table to 10 regular rotary drilling operations.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of Se temher, 1922.

'WALBO SHELDON. 

